Thinking about you
by BubbleToes94
Summary: Ray/Neela. Continues on from where they left us hanging 15x11 "Separation Anxiety with Ray's text to Neela that he was thinking about her. Ray visits again and the roomies reunite. Can they make it work this time?
1. Chapter 1

_**First time posting. I'm a huge Ray/Neela fan. I hope we get our happy ending. I do not own ER or any of it's characters, if I did Ray and Neela would've gotten together a long time ago!**_ _This will be multiple chapters, feel free to tell me where you'd like the story to go, not too sure where to take it..._ Reviews will be much appreciated :)

Neela sighed heavily as she unlocked her front door stepping into her apartment she allowed her purse to fall to the floor. She shrugged off her coat

and threw it over the back of the couch as she made her way to the kitchen to see what she could throw together for a suitable dinner. Opening the

fridge she eyed her options: leftover Chinese takeout... milk that was probably well past it's best before date... yogurt... some very sad looking

celery. She reached for the takeout container and opened it gingerly before apprehensively sniffing it.

_  
"Hmm, not bad... should still be safe"_

She decided to heat it up and placed it in the microwave. She then re-opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. Opening the beer, she took a long swig

from the bottle.

_  
"Ahhh, just what I needed"_

She had had a long, draining day no different from any other she seemed to experience at County. Her young sickle cell patient had ripped at her

heart strings. Such a sweet, young girl filled with so much potential and ambition. She giggled to herself remembering her calling Neela a "player".

"Hah, a player...hardly"

Neela said to herself out loud looking around her empty apartment. She was snapped out of her own pity party moment when she heard the beep

of what she thought was her microwave but when she stepped over to it she realized that it was still heating up its' contents. Then, she heard the

beeping again... 

_"What is that?"_

and again... it sounded like it was coming from the front door. She cautiously approached it and heard the sound again. Suddenly, she realized it was

coming from her purse and reached down to rummage thru it for her cell phone. She had forgotten her technology savvy patient had set the phone

up for her, surely this beeping meant something. Finally she found it and whipped it out to have a look at it. "1 New Text Message" was flashing at

her. She checked her message inbox, and opened the message. It simply said:

"Still thinking about me...?"

A smile slowly crept across her face, she didn't really need to check who the message was from but she did anyways. The message was from Ray.

Suddenly forgetting her hunger and tiredness she sat down on the couch and texted back:

"Why do you ask? Are you still thinking about me too?"

She waited a moment, then just as she was placing her phone down on the coffee table in front of her and reaching for the TV remote, the phone

beeped again. She quickly swiped the phone up and read his response:

"Always."

Before she could even think of what to text back to his reply the phone started ringing and that really cute picture of Ray flashed on her screen.

_"Oh my god, he's calling..."_

She panicked and tried to regulate her breathing before picking up the call and calmly saying

"Hello"

"Come on roomie, you know I'm always thinking of ya" he started flirtatiously.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh, yah right..." she responded sarcastically.

"Are you off shift? How was your day?" he asked caringly, switching topics.

"Endless as usual, and yes I'm finally home... just got in actually." She replied.

"Oh, do you want me to let you go? Did I interrupt anything?" he apprehensively questioned his timing.

"No, not unless you consider a night of Deal or no Deal and some left over takeout to be something comparable to actually having plans or whatever..." she deadpanned back.

"Ahhh good then, so we can chat" he quipped back.

"I'm all yours" she said almost too quickly as she bonked herself on the head.

_"I'm all yours?!?"_ could I possibly sound any cheesier she thought to herself, she felt a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Hmm, don't I wish..." he whispered softly into the phone suggestively.

It caught Neela a bit off guard, were they actually flirting right now over the phone? What exactly was happening here? She had no idea, but she liked it.

She suddenly had butterflies swimming in her stomach and the silliest smile plastered on her face. Good thing he couldn't actually see her!

"You still there?" he piped up from the other end.

"Oh, yes of course, sorry didn't mean to go all quiet on you there" she responded.

Her mind blanked and instead of continuing to flirt back or say something cute or suggestive she blurted out:

"How are you doing?... umm how's that girlfriend of yours?" and winced in preparation for his answer.

"Oh, uh... that was sorta over before it even started" he answered quickly.

"Oh, I'm sorry... really it's none of my business, but if you wanna talk about it" she offered.

"Well, what can I say I guess I have some very high standards, she didn't quite live up to..." he said quietly.

"Oh, Ray I'm sorry, it seemed as though you really—"she started to respond, only to be interrupted by him.

"Neela, bottom line is she wasn't you, no one will ever be you".

Ray took a deep breath, she heard his sharp inhale over the phone before he added,

"I miss you" he said it so softly and sweetly, just above a whisper.

_"God his voice is so sexy"_ she thought, momentarily distracted by it.

"I miss you too Ray, I wish you were still here... ". She paused for a moment and took a very deep breath before continuing,

"...in my life, working with me at County...nothing's been the same since you left... I mean, I know we email and chat online and talk on the phone... but

after seeing you on Halloween, I mean actually physically seeing you and touching you, it just made me miss you so much more"

she finally finished, took another deep breath and closed her eyes as she leaned her head and body back against the couch for support awaiting his response.

"See, now how's a guy supposed to know that if you never say anything?" he choked out, obviously touched by her confession.

A confession, he had no doubt waited so long to hear was suddenly finally out in the open.

"I just did..." she offered quietly.


	3. Chapter 3

They both sat there in silence with the phone to their ears just listening to each other breathing for a moment.

Neela didn't really know what had come over her to be so bold. One thing she had never been with Ray was truthful and outright about her true feelings

for him.

Lately, it seemed she just couldn't get him off of her mind. Since his brief surprise visit, Neela had been plagued by the many regrets she had for what

she had not done and said when it came to her relationship with Ray.

She truly was haunted by him, thoughts of him, their time as roommates, the scent of him, what it felt like to be held in his strong arms, his soft and

tender kisses. She reminisced about the simplest of things they had done together once upon a time and how much she missed doing all of those inane

things with him. Grocery shopping, watching scary movies, making dinner, well her watching him make dinner for the both of them most of the time.

She was a terrible cook and he never failed to tease her about that. And she had yet to find another human being willing to get extra anchovies on a

pizza just because she liked them so much.

Recently, in her mind she replayed over and over again the words he whispered so quietly as he left her apartment that night, "See you soon..."

The statement was so open yet so in definitive. She wanted to shout after him "Umm, when exactly? Give me a date... Let's meet for breakfast

tomorrow before your conference!" She ached to follow him, perhaps to plead her case once more that he spend the night at her place and forego his

hotel. However, instead she stood there planted in the spot that he'd left her left her in. Breathless, her lips still tingling from his tender goodbye kiss.

She had finally snapped back into it in time to make it over to the window to get one more glance of him before he drove away into the night.

Suddenly, she was all alone again. She cried herself to sleep that night, first a few tears which soon became intense sobs from deeper and deeper inside

of her with each tear she shed. She reminisced that night on their checkered past, working together as interns, sharing an apartment, the development

of their friendship, her hasty marriage to Michael, the unnurtured growth of their repressed love for each other, Michael's death, her ridiculous

involvement with Tony Gates, Ray's accident, her own accident. All of these memories flooded her mind that night after Ray left. So much had

happened, so much time had lapsed. Did he really mean it when he said he'd see her soon?

It wasn't long after that he told her about his new girlfriend and his plans for Thanksgiving. Talk about timing, just when Neela had finally decided to grow

a pair and was all ready to suggest she go out to Baton Rouge to visit him for the holiday he dropped that bomb on her. So she tried to step aside, put

him out of her thoughts and give him his space. He still called her all the time and texted, that should've been her first clue that Ray still held a torch for

her. But clueless as usual, Neela opted to keep their conversations light-hearted and dare not ask about his new girlfriend. If only she had, perhaps she

would've known that the relationship was no longer. Neela could've gone out to see Ray for Christmas or rung in the New Year with him. Regardless of

Neela's actions or more importantly her inactions when it came to Ray, now suddenly in the dim lighting of her apartment with him breathing huskily on

the other end of her phone, none of that mattered. There was no longer a girlfriend. There was simply him and her, Ray and Neela and for once no

bullshit. Maybe that's why she finally spoke up. After all of this time, the days that had turned into months and now years, could it finally be their time?


	4. Chapter 4

"Neela...?" Ray's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Err, umm sorry... I'm here" she responded.

"That night I visited, I apologize for leaving so hastily, but I didn't want to rush into anything either of us may have regretted in the morning" he stated

solemnly.

"Ray, if there is one word anyone would use to describe our situation, it would never be anything co notated with rushing or hurrying anything along"

Neela joked back. "But I understand..." she continued, "However, I doubt there would have been anything that transpired that night that I might have

regretted" she stated boldly deciding not to skirt around the issue anymore.

"Oh, I second that..." Ray's voice trailed off suggestively with a soft chuckle.

"So..." Neela began cautiously, "When you left that night, you mentioned that you would see me soon..."

"Yes, I think our paths will be crossing again very soon, roomie" Ray answered sweetly.

"Could you be any vaguer?" Neela waited for him to respond.

"No, not really... I like to keeping you guessing" Ray laughed again.

"Oh, very funny ... you're such a hoot" Neela laughed back as she yawned and stretched out on the couch.

"Mmmm, I'm so exhausted... a massage would be an absolute dream right now, but I think I'm just going to have to settle for a hot bath" Neela said

suddenly feeling a little sleepy. Ray's presence always had that effect on her, he calmed her. Even just the sound of his voice was enough to lull her into

a state of happiness, tranquility, and peacefulness, even if he was only on the phone.

"Aww, wish I could help you out there with that massage... remind me again why I'm not in Chicago?" Ray asked flirtatiously.

"I dunno, you tell me..." Neela responded with a giggle.

"Hmmm..." Ray pondered to himself, "You know I'd be there in a second if you needed me Neela, all you have to do is say the word" Ray suggested

bravely. _How he longed to hear her say those words_.

"I know..." Neela began to get lost in her thoughts again. Silence consumed them once more.

"Uh, okay you're obviously tired and should get some rest, I will let you go" Ray started,

"I am tired. Wait, Ray?"

"Yes?" he waited for her to continue.

"I need you." She said it so quickly she doubted the words had even left her mouth. She felt that blush rising to her cheeks again.

"And, I hope you need me too" she finished.

"Neela..." Ray began in that voice he always used when he said her name. God she loved the way he said her name. He always said it like he was asking

or pleading a question to her. "Neela..." he said it again, "Are you drunk or something? Cause you're acting a little off tonight..." he questioned half

jokingly but also half seriously.

"Excuse me? I'll have you know I've only had a sip of beer...and there is no tequila in sight at the moment" Neela quipped back laughing.

"Okay, I just had to check. I appreciate your honesty tonight. I don't know what brought this about but I like it." Ray said.

"Well, I've been feeling rather introspective lately...." she tapered off.

"Neela, of course I need you. Not only do I need you I want you with every bone in my body... I ache for you, I long for us... I think I've been very clear

with regards to my feelings for you" Ray said, putting it all on the line.

"The ball is in your court now Neela, what does Neela want?" Ray asked the question, not too sure he was ready or would want to hear the response

that would follow.

After another brief moment of silence fell between them Neela said it. It was only one word but it answered a question Ray had been waiting

so patiently to hear the answer to for some time now, "You." Neela smiled to herself after she said it as a single tear slid down her cheek.

Yes, she was crying... again. But this time it was a tear of joy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the great reviews you guys are the best! Still building up to Ray's visit... that will probably take place in the next chapter**

They got off the phone shortly after Neela's admission that night. She had finally admitted that she wanted to be with Ray, shifting the equilibrium, now it

was all sort of up in the air. They had both acknowledged their feelings for one another but now what?

Ray was still completing his residency in his new specialty in Baton Rouge and Neela was well on her way to becoming a surgical attending whether it be

at County or another hospital. They were still miles apart.

Neela was going over possible scenarios in her head over and over again on how they could make it work as she hurried into the hospital for her shift

the next morning. She was so distracted she walked right into someone and heard an

"Ouch... easy there doctor" she looked up to see Simon Brenner.

"Oh, crap I'm sorry I was distracted, I wasn't even looking where I was going..." Neela mumbled trying to scurry past him.

"Wait" Simon braced Neela's arms with his hands and held her in front of him.

"What? No welcome back Simon... how was your trip home to Australia Simon?" he kidded as he smoothly smiled at her.

"Uhh... right, how did that go?" She feigned interest.

"Wonderful, I have a gift for you, I'll find you later..." he finally released her as an ambulance rig pulled up and he walked away to see what trauma was

coming in.

"Grreat..." Neela muttered under her breath, _this guy is relentless_.

_I guess that's what I get for trying to have guilt free commitment less sex with someone I barely know._

She thought to herself about Brenner and her relationship.

_I mean, he was just there... and I was upset over Lucien possibly leaving... ugh._

She sighed as she ran to the elevator, ready to head up and begin her day in surgery.

Later on that day, Neela was down in the ER at the admit desk doing some paperwork after being called down for a consult.

Morris snuck up on her,

"Hey" he said casually.

"Oh, hello... it's busy down here today" Neela replied.

"Full moon madness... how are you?" Archie answered.

"I'm fine. Are you okay, you're looking at me funny?" Neela questioned.

"Nope, nothing, I mean yes I'm fine. Sorry... err have you talked to Ray? Just wondering how he's doing?" Morris reacted to her question very oddly.

"Yes, actually I did last night, he's well." Neela said.

"Ah, did he mention the girlfriend?" Morris prodded.

"Apparently, that is over." Neela smiled.

"Oh really?" Morris looked at her suggestively as he noticed her smiling and raised an eyebrow.

"Yep... why are you still looking at me like that? Forget it. I gotta run seeya later" Neela hurried back upstairs to the surgical floor.

"Sure, bye" Morris shouted after her smiling to himself.

He had spoken to Ray that morning and would be covertly helping him with his next visit to Chicago. Morris hoped that this visit would end better than

the last one had appeared to.

Neela seemed kind of sad and distant the last time Ray had visited and left. Then she told Morris that Ray had a girlfriend!?! Archie could've sworn by

Ray's line of questioning that day he visited County in the fall that he was still interested in Neela. That night, Morris had called Ray up and given him an

earful about this silly dance Ray and Neela had been doing for years now.

_Huh, I guess my scolding did some good_ Archie thought to himself realizing that something positive had transpired between Ray and Neela lately if Ray

was considering coming up for another visit.

_It seems things will soon be working out for those two, _he hoped.

Simon caught Neela again in the ambulance bay at the end of the day.

"Neela" he shouted out to her retreating back chasing after her.

_Bollocks, so close._ She cursed herself as she turned around.

Brenner ran up to her and passed her a package.

"What's this?" she questioned flatly.

"Your gift remember?" he answered.

She unwrapped the package carefully, it was a beautiful necklace.

"Wow, Simon really you shouldn't have..." she trailed off. "I can't accept this..."

"Why not?" Simon pleaded.

"Perhaps you can thank me by joining me for dinner or a drink or two?" he asked.

"Simon..." Neela bit her lip, not sure how to proceed.

"I'm sorry if I haven't been clear in the past... but there is something else, uh... someone else, I apologize if I've led you on or led you to believe..." she

started,

"I know, I know, Ray." He stated matter of factly.

"Yes" she answered definitively,

"I know I said we were just friends but at the time I was not only lying to you, I was lying to myself as well" said Neela.

"I uhh I understand, but please keep the necklace, it's a gift, I brought back something for everyone" Simon closed her tiny hand around the chain she

was still holding out towards him.

"Have a good night Neela" Simon sounded broken as he swiftly turned around and headed back towards the ER.

"Good night Simon."

Neela exhaled deeply, glad to have finally been honest with him, it would seem that their one sided courtship would hopefully now be over. She placed

the necklace in her pocket and headed for the El train.

Days turned into weeks and although they talked daily there was still no mention of seeing each other between Ray and Neela. Ray still insisted that

when it did happen Neela would least expect it and be completely surprised. Neela joked back that he may have fooled her with his first visit when he

dressed up as Frankenstein. But this time she would catch on much quicker. No pulling the wool over her eyes this time. She looked forward to their

conversations every day or night; they would sit on the phone for hours and got to know each other all over again. Ray talked of his rehabilitation, the

painful surgeries, and his decision to leave emergency medicine and specialize. Neela took Ray through her achievements as a surgeon and her thoughts

of applying for attending positions at other hospitals. It was as close as it could be to the old days when they lived together, except they were still miles

apart physically. It would seem by all intentions that Ray and Neela were finally heavily involved in a long distance relationship.

Morris would never fail to ask Neela how Ray was doing almost on a daily basis.

She found his interest in them odd but sweet at the same time.

It was nice to know that someone was rooting for them in the end.

Ray told her about Pratt and how he had advised Ray to give her some space after Michael's passing, only to have Neela run into the arms of Tony.

Ray laughed as he told her that he finally had to tell Pratt to stop giving him advice, because thanks to listening to him Ray had thought he'd lost Neela

forever.

He told Neela about the day in the ambulance bay that he literally had to shush Pratt when he tried to offer Ray more advice about Neela.

Pratt had laughed that day, and so had Ray at just how ridiculous the whole situation had become.

For Neela, hearing that Pratt was supportive of a relationship between her and Ray was comforting.

Greg was one of Michael's closest friends, she had no idea Ray had even discussed his feelings for her with Greg.

Neela couldn't remember the last time she was this happy, she woke up every morning with a smile on her face and went to bed giddy with love.

_This must be how it feels to finally truly be in love._


	6. Chapter 6

**_Thanks again for the great reviews, you guys are awesome! Sorry this update took a few days, life's been crazy. There will be more to come soon!_**

* * *

"Hello..." Neela picked up her phone and answered groggily.

"Awww, I'm sorry I woke you up" Ray asked more than he stated.

"No, no wait... I need to get up. I'm just catching up on some sleep while I can in the on call room... I've been on for almost twenty-four hours now"

Neela said sleepily.

"I know, I got your text earlier..." said Ray.

"Mmm, what time is it?" Neela questioned.

"Five am' Ray responded. Just as Ray announced the time Neela's pager went off.

"Oh, dammit... it's the ER, looks like they need a consult... can I call you back? Are you off to work soon?" Neela asked Ray.

"Oh, yah. I'm on at seven. Call me back if you can before then. I just wanted to discuss Valentine's Day with you..." said Ray, immediately catching her

attention.

"Oh, really?" Neela smiled.

"I will call you back as soon as I'm done in the ER" Neela answered.

"Okay, talk to you then... Oh and Good Morning by the way" Ray added playfully.

"Good morning. I'll talk to you soon."

"Kay... bye" Ray ended the call.

Neela sat up and rubbed her eyes.

_Ugghhh, hope this is a quick consult_.

Her curiosity had been stirred by Ray wanting to discuss Valentine's Day with her. Neela got up, and headed down to the ER.

* * *

A few hours later, Neela was sipping on a cup of coffee in the ER break room as the end of her shift was finally in sight. She took a deep breath and sat

down on the couch. She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket.

_Oh shit, Ray. I didn't get a chance to call him before his shift started._

She pulled her phone out of her lab coat and saw that he had left her a voicemail message. She smiled in anticipation as she picked up the message

waiting to hear the words that she'd been waiting to hear for so long, he was finally coming to see her!.

"Hey Neela, sorry to bother you again. I'm sure you got caught up in a case that ended up needing surgery this morning. Any who, I was really, really

hoping to be able to come and see you this weekend so we could celebrate Valentine's day together. BUT, it turns out I have this Physical Med and

Rehab retreat thing to attend and of course it happens to be this weekend. I mixed up the dates, thought it was next weekend. I know your schedule's

tight, so it's hard for you to get time off to come down here.... Okay, now I'm just rambling. I'm sorry, was really looking forward to seeing you. Now, if

you're picking this message up and you're still at the hospital... leave! Go home, have a nice warm meal, grab a shower... hmm, you in the shower...

sorry, sidetracked there for a second... and get some sleep! Sorry to disappoint, I'm off at seven tonight. Call me; we can watch celebrity poker

together on the phone. Okay, bye."

Ray had left quite a long message, but Neela had missed most of it after she heard him say that they would not be able to spend Valentine's Day

together. Frustrated that after all of this time, the stars still couldn't seem to align themselves for the two of them, Neela looked up and shook her fists

towards the sky.

"Damn you Cupid" she said aloud before gulping down the rest of her coffee and heading up to the surgical floor to do a few more

patient follow ups before heading home for some rest.

* * *

Neela felt pretty crappy for the rest of the week. She woke up in a really bad mood on Valentine's Day. Not only was she not sharing it with Ray, but she

was working the entire weekend. How craptacular. As she passed by the ER admit desk on her way back up to the surgical floor after what seemed like

the twentieth surgical consult that day when Jerry caught her attention.

"Neela, special delivery." he said with a grin on his face.

He passed her a square box; it was addressed to her with a return address from Ray. She couldn't help the smile that instantly came to her face.

"Uhh, I'll be in the lounge if anyone's looking for me" she said as she hurried off to examine the contents of Ray's package.

Upon opening it, she found the cutest card with two puppies on it that said:

"Woof you be my Valentine?"

She opened the card and it read:

"Dear Neela, sorry I couldn't be there this weekend. I miss you and promise I will make it up to you. In the meantime, enjoy. Here are some songs I

collected that I thought you'd like that reminded me of you, of us. Love Always, Ray."

She loaded the CD into the computer and immediately smiled as she recognized the first song. She loved this song. She felt a little sad as she listened to

its melody. She couldn't help but wonder if and when she was going to see Ray again. Because right now, it seemed like it was an eternity away. Neela

sighed as she removed the CD from the player and put it back in the package along with the card and carefully placed it all in her lab coat pocket. She

called Ray but got his voicemail and decided to leave him a message.

"Hello Valentine, I know you're at your retreat but I just got your package and it's perfect. Just wanted to say thank you.... I guess that's all, I should

get back to work. Miss you, and I'm thinking about you. In fact, I'm sure I'll be thinking about you all day... bye."

She hung up and headed back out into the ER.

"Hey Neela, Happy Valentine's Day" Morris chirped.

"Oh yeah, really is it?" Neela shot back grumpily.

"What? Who peed in your cornflakes today?" Morris questioned.

"It's Ray... I thought maybe... it's just, he said... oh forget it, I dunno why I'm telling YOU this..." Neela went back to her charting.

She could have sworn this whole "retreat" thing was a creative way for Ray to surprise her with a visit. But as the day wore on, she had sadly started

to realize that he really wasn't coming.

"What? We're friends right? We can talk..." Morris persisted.

"No, it's nothing really" Neela responded with a frown.

"Tell Simon I'll be back up on the surgical floor prepping for that surgery transfer of his I assessed earlier if he's looking for me to discuss any more

cases" Neela said as she headed for the elevator.

"Okay, hey think fast" Morris said as he threw something at her.

She caught it and looked down at her hand to see what he'd tossed to her, it was some candy hearts. There were three in total,

one said "Miss you", and another said "Will You" and the final one said "Be Mine".

"Aww, Morris... are you trying to tell me something?" Neela joked as she walked away.

"Nope, but somebody else may be trying to" Morris said to himself smiling coyly as he watched Neela's retreating back.

* * *

Two days had passed. Valentine's Day had come and gone. Neela was exhausted, from another long shift at the hospital. She wanted nothing more

than a hot shower and her bed. Neela had yet to speak to Ray. She knew he'd had a busy weekend away with work related stuff, but this was the

longest they had gone without talking in a while. He'd text her daily, just to let her know he was thinking about her but she missed the sound of his

voice. She was lost in her thoughts about Ray as she distractedly walked up the steps to her apartment. As she rounded the corner to head down the

hall to her apartment she smelled something delicious.

_Mmm, someone's cooking up a great meal. We know that's not coming from my place._

she thought to herself as she turned her key in the lock and pushed open the door to a sight that would truly amaze her. Her mouth dropped open as

she looked around her apartment it was adorned with beautifully lit candles; there was a beautiful bouquet of lilies on her kitchen table. The table

appeared to be set for dinner, for two people. Two glasses of untouched red wine sat neatly on the table next to the flowers. She was still taking in the

sight and scent of the apartment, the shock of it all when Ray stepped out from behind the fridge door as he shut it.

"Welcome home roomie" he said sexily.

He smiled as he held out his arms ready to embrace her.

"Oh my god!" Neela squealed as she threw her bags on the floor and ran towards him jumping up into his arms as she wrapped her legs around him.

They embraced for a long time and then he gently let her down. She looked up into his eyes and immediately their lips met for a passionate, lingering

kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

_**Thanks for the reviews, nice to hear that you guys are enjoying the story and someone's out there actually reading it! :)**_

* * *

"Welcome home roomie" He smiled as he held out his arms ready to embrace her.

"Oh my god!!!" Neela squealed as she threw her bags on the floor and ran towards him jumping up into his arms as she wrapped her legs around him.

They embraced for a long time and then he gently let her down. She looked up into his eyes and immediately their lips met for a passionate, lingering

kiss.

They finally had to break apart and come up for air. Their faces remained just inches apart. Neela stared into Ray's eyes with a fire from so deep within

her she worried she just might burn a hold through them. Their lips met again in a series of soft, light kisses. Neela spoke while smiling into Ray's kisses.

"What are you doing here? I mean not that I'm upset, but you definitely surprised me.... it's so good to see you".

"Well, I told ya I'd get you when you least expected it" Ray chuckled.

They finally stopped kissing but were still holding each other very closely. Ray cupped Neela's face with his hands and stared at her again.

"Hold up a moment, I just wanna soak this in" He said.

He studied her face, touched her hair, traced her lips with his finger and began to gently kiss her forehead, the tip of her nose her cheeks, her chin

and then he brought his lips to hers once more. This time the kiss was deeper, it screamed out his love for her. She reciprocated it. Suddenly, her body

was on fire, she had not felt this way... well, ever. Her toes tingled, her stomach felt like it had risen to her throat, her heart was pounding. She broke

away from the kiss,

"Oh my, we better slow down or I may just have to ravage you right now, right here in this kitchen" she half teased but was also serious.

"Would that be so bad?" Ray said suggestively as he cocked an eyebrow at her and smirked.

"Well, it looks like you've obviously put a lot of planning into this night" Neela said touched as she looked around her place.

"You're right, we've got all night right? And all of tomorrow as well..." Ray smiled at her.

"What? Oh yes, you're right I'm off tomorrow but how did you know that? We haven't really spoken these past few days" Neela questioned.

"Well, let's just say I've had a little help from a little birdie that happens to double as an ER attending at County" Ray laughed back.

"What? Oh my... Morris?!?" Neela asked as suddenly Morris' behaviour the past couple of weeks started to make sense to her.

"Yep. Archie's been a great help. He stole your keys for me and copied an apartment key, he got me a copy of your schedule so I could plan this visit"

Ray said.

"Oh really, I'll have to have a talk with that sneaky little leprechaun... " Neela joked.

Neela finally let go of Ray and stepped away to smell the lilies.

"Mmm, Ray these are beautiful" she smiled as she took in the scent of them.

Ray stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on the back of her head. He tipped his head down to take in her

scent, he loved the smell of her hair.

"I know they are your favourite" he said.

He moved away from her and picked up the two glasses of wine.

"Cheers, to a wonderful night" he toasted.

"Cheers" she took the glass he was offering and clicked it against his. Again they found each other staring into one another's eyes. His eyes were so

intense tonight, they conveyed all of his love and emotion for her. Suddenly she was nervous and giddy all at once like a teenager in high school that

was about to spend prom night with her boyfriend. Ray broke the comfortable silence,

"Okay, now I know you've had a long day, so please have a seat and prepare to be dazzled" he said as he pulled out a chair for her and plunked her

down in it.

"You are about to experience my special penne a la Barnett" Ray said as he walked towards the stove and served them two plates of the delicious

food he had prepared. He came back to the table and set a plate down in front of Neela. "Ma'am" he said as he then moved towards his seat and sat

down with his own dish.

"Ray, this is perfect... I dunno what to say... I don't deserve this" Neela said in awe of him.

"What? Of course you do... now eat up, it's getting cold" Ray scolded back.

"Yes, sir." Neela joked back as she dug in.

"Mmm, this is divine" she said in between bites.

"Glad you like it" Ray smiled back at her.

The desire between them was palpable and electric. She wanted to jump across the table and kiss him all over and never stop.

_Restraint Neela, restraint. _

She said to herself in her head over and over again.

He just looked so good, his lips we so soft. His kisses were always so tender, gentle and intoxicating. Neela took a sip of her wine, after staring at Ray

and having all of these lustful thoughts suddenly her throat was very dry.

_Gulp. _

"Are you okay? I hope it's alright that I did all of this?" Ray questioned worried by her momentary silence, he could have sworn she was looking at him

funny.

"Are you kidding? I've never been happier. You've outdone yourself Mr." Neela said.

Ray responded with his sexy smirk and smile, the one that made Neela squirm in her seat. She wasn't sure she was going to make it through dinner

without jumping his bones.

_God, I've missed him so much._

She thought to herself as they finished up dinner and made small talk reviewing Neela's day at work.

"Seconds?" Ray asked as he jumped up to collect their now empty plates and head to the sink.

"Oh no, I'm stuffed" Neela answered.

Ray set the dishes down in the sink and grabbed the bottle of wine to top off their glasses.

He then held his hand out to her, "Come on" he coaxed softly.

_Oh god, this is it... it's finally happening... I hope I colour co-ordinated my bra and underwear this morning... _

Neela held her breath as she took his hand and stood up expecting him to lead her to the bedroom. She was horrible, she only had one thing on her

mind tonight. Instead of heading to the bedroom Ray lead her to the couch and they sat down. Neela looked down at her coffee table, Ray had laid out

chocolate covered strawberries.

"Oh my favourite, you are really spoiling me" she said as she reached down for one and was about to bite into it when he grabbed it from her.

"Uh uh... allow me" he said flirtatiously as he fed her.

She looked into his eyes as she bit into it. It was delicious, her senses were on overload. His body was so close to hers, his soft lips teasing her as he

smiled at her. He put the stem down as she finished it and she reached down for his hand, bringing it back to her mouth she licked the chocolate off of

his fingers suggestively. A soft groan escaped his lips as she did this.

_Glad to see I'm having the same effect on him as he his is on me tonight_ Neela thought to herself.

"Woman, you're killing me..." he said as he cradled her face in his hands and grazed her lips with his.

They began to kiss softly but soon it was passionate again and deep and intense. Ray leaned down against Neela as he gently guided her to lay back on

the couch as he lay over her. Their hands were going crazy, finally having access to one another they were all over each other.

"Mmm, I'm so glad you're here..." Neela said again in between kisses.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else..." Ray responded. Things were getting heavy, their breathing was deep and rapid. Ray started to unbutton Neela's

blouse, he stopped to take in her beauty as she sat before him in nothing but her bra.

"What?" Neela asked in a panic suddenly looking down at herself,

_oh my god am I wearing that Hello Kitty bra?... Oh thank god, no. _

"Nothing, taking it all in..." Ray said just above a whisper as he smiled at her.

She grinned back and curled her index finger towards him calling him towards her. As he moved into to kiss her again she found the hem of his shirt and

pulled it up over his head and off of his body. Now it was her turn to ogle. He was gorgeous, well-muscled and toned,

_Oh my._

Neela reached out to run her hands down his bare chest she could not keep her hands off of him. Slowly Ray stood up and pulled her up off the couch.

"Now, bear with me here...' he said shyly as he attempted to pick her up and carry her with his new prosthetics.

"Ray, stop... you'll hurt yourself... put me...." Neela protested but with one quick swoop, he had her up and draped over his shoulder in a fireman hold

and off he carried her towards the bedroom.

_Finally. After all of this time, it is going to happen. _

Neela smiled to herself and allowed herself to be carried away in the moment.


	8. Chapter 8

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_**Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews. You've all been so wonderful :) and great at catching onto all of the references I've made to incidents in the past with our favorite pair of roomies. Keep em' coming so I know if I should keep going with this... Thx, again. **_

_**Disclaimer:**_ As usual, I do not own these characters or anything associated with ER... please don't hurt me.

* * *

Ray carried Neela into her bedroom and gently set her down into a standing position right next to him and the bed. She noticed the room was dimly lit

and took a moment to look around and adjust to the new surroundings. Ray had decorated the room with white candles that smelled of vanilla which

were all lit and burning dimly. Next to her bed, on her bedside table she noticed some bottles of some sort of lotion or cream. She cocked an eyebrow and looked up at him.

"So I see you really thought of everything now didn't you... what if the wine, pasta and chocolate covered strawberries hadn't wooed me?" she kidded smiling at him.

"Oh well then you would have underestimated me. Lie down please, on your stomach." he said gesturing towards the bed.

"What?" Neela questioned perplexed.

"Come on, just lie down already" Ray pleaded.

"You really need to work on your bedside manner " Neela said confused as she lay down

"Uh huh. I'm sure I'll have your mind changed about that in a few minutes" Ray said smoothly from above her.

"Ray?" Neela started to question him and lifted her head to turn around and look at him.

"Sheesh, would you relax... Neela, please" Ray begged pushing her back down on the bed.

"Umm... if this is supposed to be some kind of foreplay it's not work—" Neela was suddenly silenced as Ray's strong hands began to rub her shoulders

and then down her back.

"This is _supposed_ to be a surprise massage, for my hard working surgeon girlfriend" Ray whispered in her ear as he oiled his hands with warming

massage oil and continued to massage her.

"Mmmmm" Neela murmured suddenly lost in his touch.

She felt like she was about to burst. Ray was doing everything right tonight and it was driving her nuts, she couldn't take much more of this. She bit her lip in frustration.

"Aww come on, we're not in any rush right? I thought this would help you to unwind a bit" Ray's voice cooed from over her.

"Oh it's working..." Neela said just above a whisper.

Ray continued to run his strong hands over her back for a while and Neela relaxed and let go for once. This felt like absolute heaven right now. Ray was

such an amazing person; she questioned why it had taken them so long to get to this point.

_Nevermind, you're finally here with him. Enjoy it. _

She snapped herself out of it before she allowed herself to get lost in thoughts of regret over the past and the tragedies it held for the two of them.

Suddenly, she felt Ray undoing the clips of her bra and sliding it off her body as he continued to massage her. She soon felt his hot breath near the

back of her neck as he started to drizzle soft kisses down her neck and back. Neela groaned in anticipation and frustration as he turned her over and

took in the sight of her lying there below him waiting for him.

"Neela, you're so beautiful, I've waited so long for this moment it all feels surreal right now" Ray said with baited breath.

"I'm here Ray and I'm not going anywhere and neither are you" Neela smiled cheekily as she playfully slapped him on his butt through his jeans and reached up to lower him onto her.

"Whoa, Neela... I always knew you were an animal in the bedroom" he joked as he kissed her lips and began trailing kissing down the rest of her body.

Neela closed her eyes and allowed herself to get caught up in the moment.

_Yes, this truly is heaven. _

Ray and Neela made love three times that night. It was beautiful and full of the passion they had both held so long for each other.

* * *

It was three am when Neela awoke suddenly and thought she should jump in the shower as she had yet to wash away the day at the hospital from

her body. She hesitated for a moment as she sat up and tried not to disturb Ray. She could smell Ray's cologne on her did she really want to wash

that off? She smiled to herself as she remembered what had gone on in her bed and apartment that night. She gently lifted herself up off of the bed.

Suddenly she felt an arm sling around one of her legs and pull her back.

"Just where exactly do you think you're going?" Ray asked sleepily.

"Sorry, I was trying not to wake you. I was just gonna sneak off for a quick shower" Neela whispered back.

"Oh a shower eh...? Need any company?" Ray smirked at her in the darkness.

"No, you are an animal! I'm calling a timeout" Neela threw a pillow at him as she walked away towards the washroom.

"Okay, but leave the door unlocked just in case" Ray joked.

"Go back to sleep Ray" Neela said as she stepped into the washroom. She turned to look at herself in the mirror, her hair looked like a bird's nest, her

cheeks were flushed and she had the hugest smile she had ever seen plastered on her face, _and somehow he still finds this attractive? _she thought to

herself while looking at her reflection. After her shower, she managed to get back into bed without waking Ray. She took a moment to observe him as

he slept. He had a very peaceful look on his face and she just stared at his chest as it moved up and down with his breaths. She gently ran her fingers

through his hair and cupped her hand to the side of his face. She kissed the tip of his nose. He stirred and she worried she had woken him up and froze

for a moment. But instead of waking up or opening his eyes he just smiled and wrapped his arm around her and said

"I missed you, welcome back".

A brief silence passed and Neela thought Ray might still be awake.

"Ray..." she whispered into the dark silence. She figured he had fallen asleep when she didn't get a response.

"I love you" she said to what she thought was his sleeping figure as she cuddled up to him.

"I love you too Neela" he said.

She smiled into his chest as she felt his grip tightening around her. They held each other close and fell into a blissful sleep that night.

* * *

Ray felt the daylight beating down on him the next morning as he groggily rubbed his eyes and looked around Neela's room. A shy smile came to his

lips as he remembered the wonderful events of the night before. Neela's surprise at his visit, him cooking for her, the massage and what had followed.

The best night of his life and the first night of their new scratch that semi-new life together. He turned to lie on his back and instinctively reached out

and felt for Neela on her side of the bed. He sprang up into a sitting position as soon as he realized she wasn't there.

_Had it all been a dream? Nope, can't be I'm lying here naked in her bed _he rationalized.

_What if she thinks it was a horrible mistake and she's waiting for me to wake up to tell me it's over and it'll never work out... _

Ray let his fears get the worst of him. He'd come to not expect much from Neela over the years. Since he professed his feelings for her while she was

still a married woman the two of them had been on one hell of a crazy, twisted and often cruel ride of emotions. Just as Ray began to talk himself over

the line of reason Neela walked into the room with a tray.

"Good morning sleepy head..." she said smiling at him.

"Since you were so wonderful last night, I thought I'd return the favour and make you breakfast in bed" she said approaching the bed with a tray that she slid onto his lap.

"Don't worry, it's only toast... I didn't actually attempt to cook. And I made you tea with honey just how you use to like it, hope that's okay" she smiled coyly at him.

They had spent many a morning together as roommates but this was new territory for them. Essentially this was the morning after, and try as they

may there was bound to be a slight amount of awkwardness in the air. But it was just the right amount of awkward, the kind that made you feel kind

of giddy and dizzy all at once, and the kind that accompanied a new and beautiful beginning to the rest of their lives together.

"Mmm, perfect, thank you" Ray said taking a sip of his warm tea.

"What about you?" he asked concerned.

"Oh I had some coffee and half of a bagel while I was making your toast" Neela smiled.

"Do you want some juice or water or anything?" Neela asked about to get up from the bed where she'd sat down next to Ray.

"Nope" Ray said grabbing her wrist and pulling her back down to the bed,

"Everything I need is right here" he grinned as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

A blush rose to Neela's cheeks and she looked down.

"Hey, you okay?" Ray asked concerned.

"Never better" Neela smiled back as she looked up at him.

"So I was thinking maybe we could take a run down by the lake this morning" Neela suggested.

"Oh, up for some exercise are we?" Ray asked provocatively as he slid his breakfast tray onto the nightstand beside the bed and pulled her towards him.

"You are a machine!" Neela exclaimed as she laughed while he pinned her down on the bed.

"Is that a complaint?" Ray asked with a laugh as he looked down at her.

"Absolutely not" Neela giggled back as he swooped down to kiss her.

* * *

An hour later, they were still in bed. Neela was reading the morning paper as Ray played with her hair.

"You know, we are gonna have to get up at some point and re-enter the real world" Neela deadpanned.

"I dunno, this feels pretty real to me" Ray said looking into her eyes.

"How long are you visiting for?" Neela asked the question she'd been dying to ask since the moment she saw him.

"Well, I managed to get five days off for now... may be able to stretch it out into a full week if we're lucky" Ray answered.

"Really?" Neela dropped the paper and sat up and spun around sitting cross-legged to look right at Ray.

"I thought you'd only be in town for one or two nights... that's great!" Neela was so happy.

"Well, I figured we'd have some talking to do, some uh, you know planning... we don't have to talk about this right now Neela" Ray seemed desperate to change topics.

"What do you mean... are you talking about us and our relationship? Like what does the future hold? You make it sound so morbid" Neela pressed.

"Naw, but yah that's pretty much what we need to discuss. BUT, I'd really like to enjoy the day before we get caught up in all of that stuff... You still up

for that run?" Ray asked as he attempted to switch the topic again suddenly swinging his legs over the side of the bed and reaching for his prosthetics.

He put them on and stood up,

"Well I'm gonna take a shower... I'll leave the door unlocked" he winked as he ran his hand up Neela's back before he left the room.

_What was that about? _Neela thought.

_He couldn't seem to get out of here fast enough just now when the future came up_ she worried.

He had said that they needed to talk but why not now? Why later? What about? What was Ray hiding?

* * *

**_Well... I had to throw some angst in there near the end. We all know how our roomies love their angst. It'll all be okay in the end though, promise. :)_**

**_Got the idea to refer the the morning after "right amount of awkward" from a new Lily Allen song I'm loving right now called "Who'd have known", so I can't take credit for that line, it's hers._**


	9. Chapter 9

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**As always, thank you so much for the great reviews! I hope the story is living up to your expectations. Enjoy :)**

_

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What was that about? _Neela thought. _He couldn't seem to get out of here fast enough just now when the future came up_ she worried.

He had said that they needed to talk but why not now? Why later? What about? What was Ray hiding?

Neela got up off the bed and decided to get dressed in her running gear while she waited for Ray to finish up in the shower. She thought to herself that she

would respect Ray's wishes, just for today and leave it be. She was not going to push the issues of the future or where their relationship may be headed.

Not today anyways. Although she knew thoughts of it and Ray's reluctance to discuss things just now with her would plague her throughout the day, she

was just going to have to push it out of her mind for now. Maybe she was just being paranoid, jumping to the conclusion that Ray was hiding something.

_Okay, so today we keep it light and simple, enjoy this time together._

Neela thought to herself but more so tried to embed this philosophy in her head as she got dressed. Obviously he cared deeply for her or he wouldn't have

gone through all of the effort to plan this special visit. However, Neela couldn't help a nagging feeling that was coming from deep down within her, that

something... not quite sure what but something was just too good to be true right now. It seemed as though all of the cards were finally falling into place

but things between Ray and Neela were never this easy or simple. Neela had been down this road before. She had let go of her inhibitions and done

something absolutely crazy on a whim. She had married Michael. She knew people around her must have thought she was absolutely nuts but she

believed that Michael truly loved her and was dedicated to a future with her in Chicago. Then Michael dropped the bombshell on her that he wanted or

more so _needed_ to go back to Iraq. She was devastated that after all she had invested in her new marriage her husband was willing to leave her to fight in

a war she did not even understand. _Ray isn't Michael and Michael wasn't Ray... at all,_ Neela reminded herself frowning and slipping on her running shoes

still deep in thought.

"Hey, looks like you're all set to go" Ray said warmly as he re-entered the room his hair still wet from the shower, he was also dressed for a jog.

"So, uhh I guess we'll take my car, my running prosthetics are in the trunk" he said as he smiled at her.

"Umm okay, ready whenever you are" Neela looked up at Ray and feigned a smile, hoping to hide some of the distress and confusion swirling around in her mind at the moment.

_Snap out of it Neela. Enjoy this time. _

She reminded herself as she continued to smile at Ray. She turned and headed for the front door.

"Right behind you" Ray stated. He took a deep breath as soon as Neela turned her back to him and allowed the breath the escape his mouth in a steady exhale as his shoulders shrunk.

_She's upset, way to go Barnett_.

He thought to himself as he followed her out. He knew a fake smile from Neela when he saw one, and by all accounts she had just given him one.

* * *

"Here" Ray extended his arm out towards Neela and shook his water bottle at her.

"Thanks, I'm all out" Neela took a drink of water from his bottle.

"Phew, that was great eh?" Ray cocked his head to the side and looked at Neela as he opened his trunk to switch his prosthetics.

"Yes. Refreshing" Neela struggled for words as she diverted her eyes from Ray out towards Lake Michigan.

It had been a fairly quiet run. Not much talking, just their two bodies moving in unison together. Neela's mind was miles away as she ran beside Ray. Ray's

mind was on the tiny body running in unison next to his. He noticed on the drive over to the trail Neela had been very quiet and shifty. Whenever he would

look over at her and make eye contact she would offer a weak smile and then gaze out the window. Now that they had finished their exercise the silence

between them was even more awkward. Normally they would be chatting and there would be some flirtatious banter between the two of them about

who had really kept up with who and who had lagged behind. Instead there was nothing. The wonderful events of the previous night seemed a distant

memory as they allowed a bridge of tension to build between them.

"Umm I'm gonna jump in" Neela pointed to the front of the car and didn't wait for Ray to respond as she took off to jump into the passenger seat.

"Okay" Ray said softly, confused as she walked away abruptly. He finished and closed up the trunk of the car and slid into the driver's seat and turned his

key to start the ignition. He cleared his throat. Neela pretended to be occupied having another drink of water from Ray's water flask.

"Thirsty?" Ray asked in a feeble attempt to make conversation.

"Mmm yah." Neela murmured while still sipping on the bottle.

"Okay so where to boss?" Ray said, thinking all of this tension was just silly and trying to break the ice.

"Oh, I dunno... I mean you want to just enjoy the day right... I don't want to suggest anything that may put any pressure on you or make you uncomfortable" Neela shot back unexpectedly, it seemed she'd finally reached a breaking point,

_So much for keeping things light today _she cursed herself.

"What? Where did that come from?" Ray asked perplexed.

"Well, I mean you wanna just have fun right? nothing too serious? So you tell me what do you want to do?" Neela shot back again her voice dripping with sarcasm.

_Why am I doing this? _She asked herself after the hurtful words had left her mouth.

"Neela..." Ray pleaded looking at her with sadness in his eyes. He reached out to rub her arm and she quickly ripped her arm away from his touch.

"You know what, I think I would just like to go back to my place if you don't mind" she said coldly turning to once again look out the window.

"I don't understand... what did-, what's changed since this morning?" Ray asked genuinely concerned.

"You really have no idea...? You are unbelievable" Neela spat out angrily turning to face him.

_Now there's no turning back. _

"But-"Ray began only to be cut off by Neela,

"Home, I'd like to go home NOW".

Ray sighed and began to drive. It was a long, uncomfortable and very quiet drive home. As Ray pulled up in front of Neela's apartment and parked his car,

she quickly began to undo her seatbelt and opened the door to exit.

"Can I come up?" Ray asked apprehensively.

"Ray, where else are you going to go? Your stuff is upstairs in my place" Neela retorted back very matter of factly.

"Right" Ray replied dejectedly.

He followed her up to her apartment and had to catch the front door as she almost slammed it in his face. She whipped off her jacket and headed to the

kitchen without a word.

"Okay. That's it, what exactly did I do? Cause' obviously I've done something to upset you, Neela... Please?"

Ray questioned as he still stood frozen by the front door.

"Oh, you still have no idea? what could have possibly upset me?" Neela prodded glaring at him with raised eyebrows.

_Why couldn't I just let it go, for one day, one day! _ Neela scolded herself in her mind.

It seemed the jogging and fresh air had only fuelled the fire in her with regard to her confusion and insecurities and had provided her with ample time to

sort through all of the doubts and fears that were suddenly swimming around in her mind regarding her relationship with Ray. And now, she was simply

lashing out at Ray. She was doing exactly what she had promised herself she wouldn't do today, reacting hastily to Ray's comments from that morning.

Her face was frozen in anger; she glared at him with flaming eyes.

"No, Neela. Actually I don't, why don't you just cut the crap and tell me" Ray retorted now getting irritated himself.

"Oh sorry to be such a pain in the ass, excuse me for wanting to know there is a future for us" Neela opened the fridge and momentarily turned her back to Ray. She wasn't even looking for anything in there. She slammed the door shut and whipped back around and almost spun right into Ray. He had crossed the apartment and minimized the space between them. He braced her arms to steady her. She refused to look up at him.

"You know, if you don't want to be with me, I'd appreciate it if you would just tell me now" Neela said very quietly staring at Ray's chest.

"What?" Ray said sincerely shocked, ducking his head down to look into her eyes. She averted his eye contact.

"Well you said earlier that you didn't want to discuss things right now, didn't want to talk about us... I can just assume that's because you don't want to be with me." Neela mumbled the words too hard to speak.

"Last night, was beautiful. But you don't see a future for us... be honest Ray" Neela finally looked up into his eyes.

Ray leaned in and kissed her, his kiss was full of passion and frustration.

_How can she not know that I love her and want to be with her. _

"Ray... Stop it! I'm being serious, I've been through this before. One day you say you love me and the next thing I know you're gone" Neela spat out as she pushed him away and broke the kiss.

"What! Neela you can't punish me for what other people have done to you, don't do this" He exclaimed, knowing that she was referring to her past with Michael Gallant.

"Neela, I love you, and you love me it's as simple as that... all I asked for was one day Neela, just one day and you couldn't even give me that!" Ray's voice was raised now as he smashed his fists down on the kitchen counter.

"All I ask is that you don't waste my time Ray... I sacrificed a lot for you" Neela said out of anger.

"YOU have sacrificed a lot for ME?!" Ray retorted he was now furious, and pacing.

"I can't do this right now, I just can't" Ray raised his hands in surrender and frowned at Neela while shaking his head side to side. He turned and headed towards the front door.

"I think we both need some space right now... I'll leave you to reflect on what you just said" Ray said upset and hurt both feelings conveyed in his voice as he started to head for the front door of the apartment turning once more to look back at Neela as he shook his head in disbelief before disappearing and slamming the front door behind him.

_What have I done? _Neela paused for a moment and then ran to the front door, looked down the hall and shouted

"Ray, wait". But he was gone. He was gone and it all her fault.


	10. Chapter 10

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_**As always, thanks for the reviews! sorry it took a while to get another chapter up... :)**_

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Archie heard a hard knock at his door.

"Coming, coming... jeez keep your pants on" he said as he made his way to the door.

When he opened it he was nearly trampled over by Ray ploughing by him into the apartment.

"Oh yah, sure come on in, I wasn't busy or anything" Archie said jokingly smiling at his friend. The smile soon left his lips when Ray turned around and he

saw the expression on that latter's face. He looked upset, like he had something on his mind, possibly angry.

"Oh no... Now what? What is it with you two?" Morris questioned rolling his eyes.

"What is it with us two? You mean what is it with her? She was incorrigible today" Ray spat out while flailing his arms about to add unnecessary emphasis to his statement.

"We had a wonderful night, everything went perfectly... thanks again for all of your help with that by the way... but then just now she went all postal on me and left my head spinning". Ray continued.

"What? You are not making any sense buddy, Oh hold up" Morris held his hand up to pause the conversation as he reached to get his vibrating phone out

of his jeans' pocket.

'Hello... oh heyyyy Neela" he dragged out her name suddenly making weird angry facial expressions at Ray and raising his free arm in the air to Ray for

guidance on what he should say or do.

In response Ray shook his head vehemently in a nodding and mouthing action of "No" towards Archie, signalling for him to get her off of the phone.

"Uhhh... no I haven't heard from him. Sorry, if he calls me I'll tell him you're looking for him... No, he's not here." Morris tried to sound convincing.

"Okay. Bye." He said as he hung up the phone and glared at Ray.

"I didn't like lying to her just now. You better explain yourself and start now" Morris grabbed two beers out of his fridge and passed one to Ray as they sat

down on the couch. "I don't even know where to start... I just told her I didn't want to get all serious and boring today, you know get bogged down with

the details of the future. I said we could discuss it later, she knows I'm here for four more days..." Ray trailed off as he stared at the wall in front of him.

"You said what?!?" Morris raised his eyebrows at Ray who had now turned to face his friend and noticed the shock in his eyes.

"You mean to tell me that you said that to the most methodical, organized, colour-coordinated, 'I plan everything I do a year ahead' woman we know?

And you thought she'd understand that why? Neela isn't exactly a fly by the seat of her pants kind of girl if you know what I mean" Archie said pointing his

bottle of beer towards Ray for emphasis.

"What? Hey she's the one that got married after only one day of planning, remember?" Ray shot back.

"And, we all know how that turned out" Morris said gloomily.

"Ohhh... what have I done?" Ray groaned as he smacked his lower palm to his forehead and rubbed his tired eyes.

"She's concerned. She is looking for you. Said you're not answering her phone calls just now" Morris stated.

"I told her I needed some space when I left the apartment" Ray said quietly sipping on his beer.

"Avoidance is not going to get you anywhere. Do you want to tell me what this is really about?" Morris prodded.

Ray sighed deeply and began,

"Well, right now I'm really loving what I'm doing down in Baton Rouge. I've still got an extra year of my residency to finish off because of all the time I had

to take off for my rehabilitation and surgeries" Ray started.

"Okay and...?" Morris questioned.

"Neela is leaning towards taking that surgical attending position at Johns Hopkins, I know she's really excited about it but I can't just pick up and leave the

new life I've built for myself down home just yet" Ray said sadly. "Do you see the dilemma?" Ray asked, hoping Morris would have the answer to his problem.

"Yes. So you both do the long distance thing for a year or two. You can still have the holidays, vacations together, it's not that far" Morris encouraged Ray.

"No. I refuse to have a long distance relationship with Neela. It's been long distance these past few weeks and it's been killing me. I can't imagine doing

that for two years no way." Ray said as he pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and threw it onto the table in front of the two men. It was ringing.

"You need to answer that. You need to talk to her" Morris motioned towards the phone, but it stopped ringing.

"If you heard the last thing she said to me as I left you'd realize why I just can't talk to her. Not yet." Ray said looking down at his beer bottle and tearing away at its' label.

"You see, we've finally found each other after all of those years of not connecting. We're both thirty now. I want to get married, start a family together.

These are all of the ideas swimming around in my mind that I didn't want to have to face just yet... because, I still have no answers on how we're going to

make this work yet." Ray said dejectedly.

"I just wanted one more day of bliss, where we could pretend it was like the good old days when we were roomies... now actually with benefits" Ray smirked as he turned to look at Morris.

"I swear, I wasn't the only one that thought that man!" he exclaimed as he laughed at Ray.

"Whatever. None of that matters now anyways." Ray said as he returned to his gloomy state of mind.

"Ray, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want. But if you want my advice you need to talk to her. As soon as possible, you need to sort this out

before she takes your lack of willingness to address the situation as a sign that you're not serious about this relationship. Knowing Neela she's already got

the whole thing figured out anyways and all of your worrying will have been in vain." Morris said as he got up from the couch.

"I have to go meet Claudia for lunch. We'll catch up later okay?" Morris began to make his way to the front door.

"Lock up when you're done, and Ray? Call her back, now." Morris said as he left leaving Ray alone with his own thoughts. He stared at his cell phone as it began to ring again on Morris' coffee table.


	11. Chapter 11

"Dammit" Neela said aloud to herself as she got Ray's voicemail for the umpteenth time. After she heard the beep she decided to leave a message this time.

"Ray, it's me... I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. I don't know what got into me. I never meant to hurt you. I feel like such an idiot. Ray please call me back, err actually come home. Please..." she hung up and fell into her couch as she sighed deeply. 

_What the hell have I done? I've gone and mucked the whole thing up now. How could I have said those things? _

Neela sat in the same position for hours waiting for Ray to come back. The afternoon turned into the evening and her sadness multiplied as she was soon

sitting in the darkness of her own apartment as dark shadows cast over her. She maintained her position on the couch, now in the dark. She glanced at

the clock on her DVD player, 6pm. She had also texted Ray a few times through the day. Still no reply. She heard a soft knock at the door. She got up,

opened the door and walked back to the couch and plopped herself down again without even looking to see who it was. She knew he had finally decided

to return probably only because he had nowhere else to go.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" Ray asked as he flicked on a few lights about her apartment and came in and shut the front door behind him.

_Is he slurring?_

"Where have you been Ray? I tried to call you all day, you didn't even respond to my texts either" Neela said tiredly.

"Ohhh, umm I walked for a bit, stopped by the hospital for a visit... went to Ike's, man I miss that place" Ray said rounding the couch to face Neela.

He fell onto the opposite end of the couch and rested he head back against it, staring straight ahead at the same wall Neela was looking at so intently.

"Are you drunk?" Neela asked quietly slowly turning her body to face him.

"So I had a few drinks Neela... I'm not drunk" Ray shot back defensively.

"A few? I can smell the liquor on you from over here." Neela sprang up off the couch.

"I would think you of all people would know by now that alcohol is not the answer... it's simply a temporary distraction AND it makes you do stupid things" Neela said curtly to Ray as she stood up and turned to head for the bedroom.

"I ordered a pizza, it's in the oven... I was trying to get a hold of you to apologize, what I said before you left was completely unnecessary and ridiculous." she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Neela... wait." Ray stood up and turned to face her. She was already standing in the doorway of her bedroom.

"No. I'm not doing this now. Not when you've been drinking. Not like this" Neela gave him a look of sadness that cut to his soul before she disappeared into the bedroom closing the door behind her.

"Neela, come on!" Ray pleaded as he ran his hands through his hair.

_Shit._

He made his way over to the bedroom and gently knocked on the door. He didn't wait for a response before he opened it. Neela was sitting on her bed

against the bedpost with her knees tucked up towards her chest. Her eyes were welled with tears and she did not look up at Ray as he entered the room.

"Neela, please don't cry." Ray walked over to the bed and sat at her feet. He reached out to stroke her face,

"Don't touch me" Neela shot back coldly.

"Dammit Neela, tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it, whatever you want... what will make this right again?" Ray questioned.

"You shouldn't have to ask me that. You should know. And you showing up half drunk isn't helping any either" Neela spoke softly but the underlying tone of anger in her voice was easy to pick up on.

"I think you need to sleep off a bit of your bender" Neela said motioning to the other side of the bed as she got up and picked up a book and headed back out of the room.

"Lucien gave me an extra day off, so we'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow... I'll be reading in the living room if you need me" she said without turning around as she continued to walk out of the room.

"Neela, stop. This is so stupid. I love you" Ray got up from the bed and followed her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and spun her around to face him.

"Ray, enough. Stop it." Neela pushed him away, again. "Go lie down" she motioned to the bed as she stormed out of the room and slammed the bedroom door on her way out.

Ray collapsed onto the bed in frustration. Yes, he had had a few beers. Perhaps a few too many. But there was no reason for her to treat him like this.

On the other side of the bedroom door, Neela choked back her tears as she braced herself while holding onto the door handle.


	12. Chapter 12

**_You guys are the best with the wonderful reviews! Please keep em' coming they keep me writing knowing that someone's out there actually reading. Special thanks to Historianic, your reviews are always so great and encouraging, you get exactly what I'm trying to say! Thanks again._**

* * *

Ray groaned as he rolled onto his back in Neela's bed and wiped some drool off of his face.

_Eww, must have passed out._ He thought thinking he had only nodded off for a few minutes.

He strained his neck to glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table it read 12:30 am.

_No way! _

His stomach growled as he shot up into a sitting position.

_Neela where is she? She hasn't come to bed._

He jumped up off of the bed and quietly made his way out of the bedroom. He could see Neela's sleeping form on the couch, she looked cold and was all

bundled up in a wool sweater. The book she had been reading was resting on the coffee table in front of her. Ray stood there for a moment and scratched

the back of his head. He felt like crap, not only emotionally but physically too. Neela was right he had had too much to drink and was feeling the after

effects of it right now.

He walked very quietly into the kitchen and turned on the light over the stove top. He pulled the pizza box out of the oven and threw two slices onto a

plate and popped it in the microwave to reheat it. He turned to look back at Neela to make sure he hadn't woken her. She was stirring but seemed to

have resumed her sleep. He loaded up the coffee maker and turned it on. He didn't anticipate getting any more sleep tonight. Now that the effects of the

alcohol were wearing off and his mind would no doubt be once again plagued by thoughts and insecurities regarding his future with Neela.

He walked over to Neela on the couch and pulled down the knitted throw blanket off of the back of the couch and rested it lightly over her. She moaned

and whispered something incoherent as she shifted in her sleep to get more comfortable on the couch. Ray stood there for a moment and relished in her

beauty. She was so strong, so passionate and beautiful. He could not stand the thought of possibly losing her.

He was snapped out of his reverie when the microwave beeper went off. He walked back into the kitchen area and started to munch on his now warmed

up pizza as he stood against the fridge all the while still watching Neela sleep.

_I should wake her up and tell her to take the bedroom_ he thought.

But he didn't want to disturb her just yet. She looked so peaceful, finally resting after the turbulence of the days' events.

After he finished eating he took a freshly percolated cup of coffee over to an armchair located across from the couch where Neela was sleeping and sat

down in the darkness and sipped his drink quietly. The dim light of a night lamp from the bedroom and the oven light from the kitchen lit up Neela's face

enough for Ray to now notice it was stained with dried tears.

_Damn, I'm such an idiot for doing this to her._

He thought as he sat in his chair sipping his coffee and sobering up while watching her sleep for what felt like a good while when suddenly she started to

move from side to side in her sleep and mumble again. He leaned forward, wondering whether or not he should wake her up, comfort her? Perhaps she

was having a bad dream? Her voice was getting louder,

"No, no... Please, don't go... No" she was pleading with someone or something in her dream.

Ray finally decided to step in. He jumped across the coffee table that had been separating them and sat next to her on the couch and gently placed his

hands on both of her arms and shook her awake.

"Neela, Neela, wake up. You're having a bad dream" He said concerned.

She started to move more violently and suddenly her eyes shot open and she looked at him. She seemed confused for a moment of her exact location

and his close proximity.

"What? What are you-" she started to say as Ray pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair.

"Shhhh, it's okay. I'm sorry you ended up falling asleep on the couch. I didn't mean to fall asleep for that long in there" he said nodding towards the

bedroom as she pulled back from him a bit and looked at him confused.

"What time is it?" she asked sleepily.

"It's almost one am now. Why don't you take the bedroom, I'll stay out here" Ray said looking down at his hands.

"I dunno if I can fall asleep again now... I was having some terrible dreams..." Neela trailed off as she sat up and pulled back and away from

Ray who had still been holding onto her.

"Oh? Do you want to talk about it?" Ray asked sheepishly as he got up to pour her a cup of coffee in the kitchen he came back and offered it to her with a

weak smile.

"Here, it's fresh" he said as she accepted it.

_Oh sure, now he wants to talk. _Neela thought to herself sarcastically.

She smiled back ever so faintly.

"No, it was nothing... just some stupid dreams" she shook it off.

Ray was unsure where to sit or stand, he stood awkwardly in front of her for a moment and then opted to take a seat back in the chair across the table

from her where he had originally been sitting when she started to stir.

"I'm sorry I came back in that state today. You were right, drinking never solves anything" Ray said meekly looking down at his lap.

"How was your nap?" Neela asked as she sipped on her warm drink.

"Well, I woke up in a pile of drool... so I guess it was good" Ray joked looking up at her.

He cocked his head to the side and smiled at her while looking her right in the eyes. She shifted her eyes away but did smile back.

_There's hope yet. _

Ray thought to himself encouragingly.

"So you've got the day off tomorrow? Err today I guess really?" Ray asked attempting to keep the ball rolling on this conversation they had started.

"Yes." Neela replied with just one word.

She set her cup down on the table in front of her and looked at Ray.

"Ray, I don't know if you remember what I said when you came back but I really am sor-" she started only to be cut off by Ray.

"I know. I can't say that those words didn't cut right to my heart. But I accept the apology. We were both starting to say some really messed up things. That's why I left, I didn't want to say anything I would regret out of anger" he said.

"Oh you mean like I did?" Neela joked looking at him.

"Yah. Kinda." Ray shot her a huge grin.

"Neela, you know that I care about you... I never wanted to give you the impression that you weren't the most important thing in my life right now, because you are" Ray said assuredly.

Neela bit her lip and looked at him apprehensively.

"I just didn't get it... you know... why you didn't wanna talk... I mean it just seems like we have so much to discuss, stuff that we weren't able to get into over the phone" she said looking at him longingly.

Ray got up and moved next to Neela on the couch. He gently pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes as she looked down. He raised her chin so they were

looking each other in the eyes.

_There's that look of passion again. _

Neela thought as she stared at him intensely. Ray took hold of one of Neela's hand in his own and held it possessively,

"Right now, or whenever you're ready we can talk about whatever you want to talk about. I love you, and I will do anything to make this work" Ray said

and then smiled at her as he got comfortable on the couch leaning back and turning his head to face her, still holding her hand. He brought her hand to his

lips and kissed it softly before letting it go. He then grazed the side of her cheek with his hand and cautiously brought his lips to hers for a soft tender kiss.

She kissed him back, softly a few times before pulling her lips away from him.

"Oh no mister, you are not getting out of this that easily...' Neela joked looking at him.

"Who me?" Ray pretended to not know what Neela was getting at.

"Are you accusing me of trying to distract you? How rude" he cocked and eyebrow and ran his fingers through her hair messing it up playfully.

"Ray!" Neela scolded as she slapped him playfully on the arm and reached for his hair.

"Oh no, not the hair!" he said as he grabbed her wrists and pulled her arms down to her sides and held them there.

"No fair" Neela teased pouting and then smiling at him.

"It's nice to see that smile again" Ray leaned into her and whispered it into her ear.

Neela felt goose bumps rise all over her body as he did this and a slight shiver shot through her as he pulled back from her ear to look her in the eyes again.

"Hey so I have an idea..." Neela said as she raised her eyebrows and stared at him he had finally released her wrists so her hands were free again.

She set one of her hands down on his thigh as she spoke.

"I'm listening..." Ray raised an eyebrow and gave her a peculiar look.

"How about we go to bed right now, and in the morning when we wake up we do our best to forget this day ever took place?" Neela asked genuinely.

"That is a great idea" Ray turned to her with puppy dog eyes and with a grin plastered on his face as he put his hand over her hand that was resting on his leg and stroked it gently.

"Okay then, what are we waiting for?" Neela jumped up off the couch and took Ray by the hands and pulled him up too. As she began to drag Ray

towards the bedroom he pulled her back towards him and engulfed her in an all encompassing embrace.

"Ray, what are you doing?" Neela's voice was muffled as she spoke into his chest.

"We may be forgetting the rest of the day but this part I want to remember" he spoke softly as he looked down at her.

He released her but they stayed close just holding hands and looking at each other for a moment.

"Alright, come on you... I believe we have some more making up to do" Neela flirted as she finally succeeded in pulling him off towards the bedroom.

Ray smiled to himself as he stripped down to his boxers while watching Neela get into bed. She had just slipped into one of his T-shirts and looked quite comfortable as she sat up in bed waiting for him to join her.

_This is how it's supposed to be_.

Neela thought to herself as she watched Ray make his way to the bed. He sat down and removed his prosthetics and slipped under the covers and pulled her into an embrace. Thankfully, the crisis had seemingly been averted and things appeared to be on the mend. The true test would come tomorrow when they woke up and tried to start off all over again.


	13. Chapter 13

_**As always, thank you for the lovely reviews. You guys are awesome! I'm so happy we finally got our happy ending on Thursday... I'm still squeeing over the whole thing even though we only got to see Shane for like 20 seconds. Closure, finally. Yay! :) I think this is the end to this story as I have a few ideas for some other stories swimming around in my head.**_

* * *

The sun peeked into Neela's room early the next morning. Neela rolled over to face Ray and found he was still sleeping. She smiled to herself amused t

hat even with the sun beaming down on his face he was still deep in slumber. She propped herself up on one elbow and leaned her head onto her hand

and she continued to watch him sleep.

_Damn, he is gorgeous and he's all mine. _She thought still smiling.

Today was definitely going to be different. Today there would be no arguments or avoidance. They would simply discuss their future together as civil

adults. Ray's voice broke into her thoughts,

"Ughhh" he groaned and covered his face with his hands trying to shield out the light. He parted his fingers to reveal an eye that had spotted Neela watching him. He lowered his hands from his face and propped himself up as he scooted closer to her.

"Good morning" he said as he trailed kisses from her ear, down to her neck and then her shoulder. Neela groaned,

"Mmmmm morning" she mumbled as she became lost in his touch. She ran her fingers through his hair as their mouths met for a deep kiss while their bodies closed in on one another.

"Are you hungry?" Neela asked in a brief moment when they parted lips.

"Hungry? Well that depends on what you're referring to..." Ray said suggestively, his voice was still husky and full of sleep as he stretched out and yawned.

"Oh shut up, you wanker. Your mind is always in a naughty place" Neela said as she playfully swatted him across the face before kissing him once more and getting up from the bed.

"Oh no no no, where ya going?" He said as he pulled her back down onto him.

"It's my turn to bring you breakfast in bed remember?" he asked.

"Well, actually we're going to have to go out to get some breakfast that left over pizza is about all I've got left by way of groceries around here... So I was actually getting up to take a shower and get dressed" Neela said.

"Out for breakfast? Nonsense lets' go get some groceries and I'll whip you up a breakfast you'll never forget!" Ray bragged as he sat up in bed.

"Okay, sounds good to me" Neela smiled as she got up and headed to the washroom. As Ray waited for Neela to return he thought about when would be a good time to have their all important discussion. He remembered what Morris said,

_"The sooner the better"_. _Damn Morris for being Mr. Know it all all of a sudden... Maybe after breakfast we can talk. _

Ray told himself not wanting to just jump right into it so early in the morning.

_After all, that's kinda what happened yesterday and we all know how that ended up_.

Ray decided to get up and do some cleaning while he waited for the shower. He made the bed. Fluffed the couch pillows and refolded the couch throw. Took the coffee mugs they had both abandoned the night before into the kitchen and washed them along with the coffee pot. He put on a fresh pot of coffee and put the half full pizza box into Neela's empty fridge. He was just pouring Neela a fresh cup of brew when she stepped into the room.

"Wow, someone's been busy" she said smiling approvingly at him as she came over and pecked him on the cheek.

She was only wearing jeans and a knit sweater with her hair still wet from the shower falling over her shoulders in a wavy mane but she looked beautiful as always.

"Yeah, thought I'd do some clearing up, words I bet you thought you'd never hear me say" Ray smiled at her as he pointed towards the washroom,

"All mine?" he asked.

"Yup, I'm all done" Neela smiled as she drank her coffee and stood near the kitchen table starting to open the newspaper Ray must've brought in from outside the front door.

"Okay, I'll be quick" Ray said passing by her and swatting her playfully on the butt as he disappeared into the washroom. Neela turned and smiled as she watched Ray's retreating back and got comfortable sitting down at the kitchen table with her coffee and the paper.

* * *

"Okay, so I'm thinking pancakes maybe... or French toast?" Ray asked Neela as they pushed their cart around the grocery store.

"Hmm... I dunno, I kinda feel like eggs" Neela announced indecisively.

"Alright, eggs it is" Ray said as he stopped to pick up a carton of eggs smiling at Neela.

"This is a first eh? Us actually agreeing on what to buy for groceries?" Ray kidded remembering the battles they use to have as roommates when they would go shopping for food.

"Yes. I can't believe you haven't tried to sneak a package of hot dogs in yet" Neela smiled at Ray and hooked her arm through his as they walked through the aisles of the store.

"Maybe pancakes wouldn't be so bad..." she started to rethink her choice of eggs again.

"Neela! If you keep this up you're gonna be making us breakfast" Ray teased and raised an eyebrow and looked down at her.

"Ok, eggs are good" Neela smiled up at him as she tossed some fruit into their cart and they headed to the checkout.

"Mmm hmm. That's what I thought" Ray mused smirking at her.

* * *

"Mmm, this is so good. Is it just me or have your cooking skills improved even more" Neela asked rhetorically and glanced at Ray in between bites of the delicious breakfast he had whipped up for them.

"I dunno, I think they're about the same" Ray smiled at her modestly as they continued eating. They had come back from the grocery store and unpacked the groceries and Ray had cooked up a fantastic meal and they were just kicking back on the couch enjoying the meal and each other's company as the television played in the background.

As they finished up Neela got up to take their plates to the sink.

"Dishes are on me, it's the least I could do" she said as she took his plate and lovingly kissed him on the top of the head before disappearing into the kitchen area.

Ray turned his focus to the television as he waited for her to return.

"Wow. I'm stuffed" Neela said returning to the couch a few minutes later and flopping herself down right next to him.

She rested a hand on Ray's thigh and gently rubbed his leg as she turned to look at him. He wrapped the arm he had draped up over the couch above her around her body and looked down as he placed a soft kiss on her lips while cradling her face. They sat there for a moment just looking at each other and gently kissing each other. When they eventually took a break from the canoodling Neela decided it was time to finally bring up the elephant in the room.

"Alright, we might as well get this out of the way so we can move on..." she started pulling away from Ray a bit to turn and face him on the couch. Her expression was eager and apprehensive Ray thought as he looked back at her.

"Just wondering where your head is at? Where do you want things to go next with us?" she asked a little scared to hear his answer.

"Well..." Ray paused for a moment trying to find the right words to say what he wanted to say and make sure that no signals were crossed this time.

"I want us to be together. Neela I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don't want a long distance relationship, I feel like we've already wasted so much time..." He said as he looked sincerely at her.

Neela felt tears coming to her eyes.

_He wants to spend the rest of his life with me._

The words brought an instant smile to her face and she just stared at him for a moment. He was looking at her intently awaiting her response.

"No long distance eh?" she laughed as she reached for one of his hands and took hold of it.

"Uh yah no. I think we've had enough distance between us for a lifetime, don't you?" Ray asked with a chuckle.

"I agree. Okay, so you're in Baton Rouge, I'm in Chicago..." Neela started.

"Who makes the move?" Ray butted in eagerly.

"Alright. Now don't get mad but I've been doing a little research" Neela said as she got up and opened a drawer on her television stand and returned with some papers. She bit her lip as she looked down at the papers and shuffled them hastily.

"So... uh... umm, John Hopkins has an excellent rehabilitation program and they accept residency transfers" she said as she passed Ray some papers to look at and waited to see his reaction as she sat back down next to him on the couch.

_Wow. She really has been thinking about this, about us. _

Ray thought truly touched as he looked through the pamphlets and email correspondence she had had with the department head of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation program at the same hospital she was considering taking a surgical attending position at.

"Neela, why would I be upset? I can't believe you did all of this for me" Ray said as he turned to look at her, but the smile he offered was weak and distracted. It appeared he had more on his mind. He paused for a moment and looked deep in thought and then took a deep breath,

"Uhhh, I dunno how to say this so I'm just gonna say it..." Ray said as he shifted his gaze between her and papers he was holding.

"I know Baton Rouge isn't exactly known for the quality of its' medical centres but I really love the group of people and patients I work with down there. I've started a new life down there. I don't know if I can leave it just yet" he blurted out quickly.

"Oh, I see." Neela said flatly looking down as she took the papers she had just given to him out of his hands and threw them down onto the coffee table in front of them.

"Hey." Ray pleaded as he raised her chin so they were looking at each other.

"No it's okay. I get it, it was a stupid idea. I'm sorry" she said quietly.

"Stop" Ray said sweetly as he stroked her hair.

"I have a great job down there but the only thing missing is you. Any chance, I can convince you to join me in Louisiana?" he asked with all of his heart.

"I know, it's not some fancy teaching hospital, but maybe just for a year or two until I finish up my residency and become more experienced in my new specialty?" Ray said quietly, half asking, half pleading with her.

Neela looked up and smiled at him as she passed him more of the papers she had still been holding onto from her lap. He looked down and saw the name of the hospital he was working at and some correspondence she had had with their surgery department. There was also a letter offering her a surgical attending position there that had yet to be answered.

"Oh my god! Are you kidding me???" He asked turning to her and shaking her excitedly.

"Really, you'd do that for me?" he asked as now he was the one with tears in his eyes.

"Of course I would. I was just waiting to see what you wanted to do before I accepted or declined their offer" she said as she grinned at him.

"Neela, you are amazing" he beamed as he pulled her towards him and into a tight embrace and then a passionate kiss.

"Okay, so then it's official. Louisiana, here I come" she smiled at Ray as he looked at her gratefully and with love in his eyes.

"Alright, it's settled then. Enough talking" Ray said definitively as he threw the papers he was holding up in the air as he kissed Neela and she giggled. The papers rained down on them as they lost themselves and fell down onto the couch and into each other's arms.


End file.
